Rida Haq named to the 2022 Law Power 100

Executive Director Rida Haq has been named to City & State’s 2022 Law Power 100. The list takes an in-depth look at legal leaders in Pennsylvania who are shaping the direction of the state politically, legally and otherwise.

Rida was appointed interim Executive Director in the spring of 2020, just weeks before Covid-19 shut down the world. She guided VIP through the initial stages of the pandemic, ensuring financial stability for the program before she was officially named Executive Director in January 2021. Throughout the pandemic, Rida has successfully fundraised for VIP’s mission, leveraging the powerful resources of the community to provide free, high-quality legal services.

Since spring 2020, Rida has spearheaded several initiatives to ensure VIP’s Board demographics are more reflective of Philadelphia’s population and the clients VIP serves. She is also partnering with the Division of Housing and Community Development and City Council to lead a collaborative multi-agency expansion of legal services for homeowners that don’t have official title to their properties.

Rida is the first non-lawyer to be Philadelphia VIP’s Executive Director. Prior to being named Executive Director, Rida started as a Case Manager before becoming the Director of Volunteer Engagement. In that role, Rida innovated recruitment efforts, including by creating VIP’s ‘Find Your Pro Bono Match’ quiz. The Match tool, which takes only a minute to use, will suggest the right case type for you, based on your interests and time constraints. Take it below.